26 Black Female Choreographers And Dancers You Should Know

Last week Misty Copeland made history when she became the first African American principal dancer in the American Ballet Theatre Company.

It is a big reason to celebrate the dance world, and also a great time to call attention to the other black female choreographers and dancers who are dominating the industry. Some of these women are icons that paved the way for Copeland's career and others are colleagues who are adding to the present and future of dance.

Check out our 26 black women from hip-hop to ballet that have inspired us through movement.

1. Rhapsody James
If you haven't heard of Rhapsody James, then you've got to get with it! She has choreographed dance routines for the best of the best, including TLC (with whom she's pictured below), Beyonce, Trey Songs, and more.

2. Kyndall Harris
She's only 12, but Kyndall Harris is making a big splash on the dance scene. Most recently she performed at the BET Music Awards alongside Ciara for the Janet Jackson tribute, and has landed a spot on Janet's upcoming tour.

3. Jasmine Harper
Former dance contestant on season 10 of So You Think You Can Dance, Harper gave us life while performing on the show in different styles and genres of dance. Harper was recently featured in an ad for Degree Deodorant.

4. Debbie Allen
The legendary choreographer and director came on the scence in '80s with movies like "Fame," which told the story of a NYC performing arts school. She has danced on Broadway and has received a Tony Nomination and three Emmys.

7. Mya
Although Mya may be known as a singer, she's a triple threat who can dance and act. She showed off her extensive dance background when she was a contestant on season 9 of "Dancing with The Stars."

11. Hope Boykin
This choreographer and dancer captured the attention of audiences with her powerhouse performances for the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater -- particularly her role in the production of Odetta.

13. Jamaica Craft
You could say that she's perfected her "craft." She first started as a dancer for MC Hammer, and has been choreographer and creative director for several celebrities including Usher and Justin Beiber.

Born in Sierra Leone, DePrince has boldly taken a stance on race and the dance industry. In an interview The Guardian she stated, "There are practically no black dancers in ballet, so I need to speak out." She currently dances in the Dutch National Ballet's main company abroad.

22. Dara Holmes
Holmes has been dancing since childhood, and despite being in a severe car accident at age 12, she has risen up the ranks of classical ballet to perform for the Joffrey Ballet Company in Chicago.

24. Katlyn Addison
Addison is Demi-Soloist with Ballet West, a company based in Salt Lake City. She has been dancing and doing choreography with the company for four years and was featured on their tour of the Nutcracker.

25. Aesha AshAsh spent eight years as a dancer in the New York City Ballet and is now a freelance guest artist for the Alonzo King Lines Ballet.

26. Laurieann Gibson
This boom-kack superstar has worked with all your faves, including Lady Gaga and Diddy. She is most memorable for her time as the no-nonsense choreographer on the MTV reality show Making the Band.

CORRECTIONS: An earlier version of this story misstated that Alicia Graf Mack left Alvin Ailey for the Dance Theater of Harlem; rather, her time with the latter preceded her move to the former. The article also misidentified Princess Mhoon Cooper using a photo of dancer Dominique Atwood.

Misty Copeland became the third African American female soloist at the American Ballet Theater back in 2007. Since then, she's spoken openly about racism in the dance world. "[Ballet is] such a traditional and historic art form that people are afraid to change it," she said in an interview with New York Magazine. "But I think it has to if it’s going to last in the world we live in today. It's hard to change someone’s ideas when they might not even really consciously know that they’re being racist, or have racist ideas, just because ballet has been this way for hundreds of years."
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Her new Under Armor ad has been making waves online, effectively conveying a contemporary interpretation of what it means to be a ballerina.